The Old Ones of Hogwarts

Chapter 45: The Fiery Curse! School is about to start!

Time flows by silently.

Like fine sand slipping through your fingertips.

The day before school was about to start had arrived.

Ian has also grown.

The magic in "The Secrets of Black Magic" isn't too difficult to learn. Apart from the knowledge about Horcruxes, Ian has already gathered the three Unforgivable Standard Bonds.

【Killing Curse (Level 1) 11/100】

【Soul Stealing Curse (Level 1) 1/100】

【Crushing Heart Curse (Level 1) 3/100】

……

Since he is now in the real world, Ian certainly wouldn't dare to use his wand to practice these seriously illegal spells. He has basically gained control of magic through theoretical study.

This was aided by Ian's exceptional talent in dark magic, and also by Gellert Grindelwald's annotations and explanations in "The Secrets of Dark Magic."

of course.

Aside from the three Unforgivable Curses, Ian only superficially learned two of the dark magic spells, such as the [Shattering Curse] and the [Transformation Torture Curse], without delving into more of them.

after all.

It's better to learn well than to learn a lot.

To improve his magic level, Ian would need to spend time building up his proficiency. He felt that it was enough for him to master dark magic to handle most situations.

"Take your time learning, and sooner or later you'll definitely have it all memorized."

Ian wasn't in a hurry.

He also studies the contents of "Standard Spells: Beginner" in his spare time.

As a break from studying black magic.

The magic that Hogwarts first-year students need to learn requires some practice for Ian, but fortunately his magic level is no longer as weak as it used to be.

Over the course of a few days.

Although Ian had not learned the entire "Standard Spells: Beginner", he was already at the level to be able to cast most of the more controllable spells.

That is, the first level of spell level.

The only magic that stumped Ian was learning Transfiguration. It was just about conjuring a needle, but it troubled Ian for several days without him gaining any proficiency.

Polymorph (Level 0) 17/50

This can truly be described as slow progress.

I wonder if he's even less capable than a typical junior wizard.

In fact, Ian could vaguely sense his problem—just as Dumbledore had warned him before, he might be focusing too much on the principles and logic of how magic is formed.

This is especially true when it is aided by the inspiration of wisdom.

This is a fairytale world.

Imagination and the power of belief play a crucial role.

Teacher Mara, in the dreamlike realm, also mentioned a similar situation; all her lifelong knowledge was no match for Pandrona's belief that he could do it.

Compared to wizards who are full of imagination and believe that magic is a miracle, Ian's science and engineering mindset also makes him somewhat trapped in his obsession with logic and principles.

no way.

Being able to realize this.

This does not mean that this can be corrected in a short period of time.

"Loyna Ravenclaw, the founder of Hogwarts, was also a wizard who valued reason. Her Transfiguration was equally outstanding. There must have been a balance that could be found."

"Back then, I did attend some extracurricular painting classes for a few days. Although my tutor said I wasn't cut out for it, I do have some artistic talent and imagination, right?"

Ian didn't question whether he could learn Transfiguration; he simply didn't know when he would find that balance between reason and imagination.

It takes time.

"Transfiguration shattered my confidence, and only this precious knowledge can help me rebuild it." Whenever Ian struggles with Transfiguration, he goes back to "The Secrets of Cutting-Edge Black Magic".

The book "Unveiling the Secrets of Cutting-Edge Black Magic" records numerous spells, which are roughly divided into three categories: evil curses, poison curses, and death curses, increasing in order of danger and viciousness.

Besides these three types of black magic, there is another rather special type of magic—curses.

"So this is how Voldemort, who has no nose, obtained the position of Defense Against the Dark Arts professor..." Ian had no intention of studying the curse.

He has always been kind to others.

What enemy could possibly warrant such a thing as a curse?

There is that time.

Is the Killing Curse not appealing enough, or is the Fiendfyre Curse's power too weak? Yes, after returning from the Nameless Bookstore, Ian naturally studied the infamous Fiendfyre Curse, a dark magic.

now.

Fiendfyre has become the black magic he is most proficient in.

【Fiercefire Spell (Level 1) 76/100】

Because of the same concerns, Ian dared not use his own wand to cast or practice such a punitive spell, and he felt that he should perhaps get himself a spare wand sometime.

I wonder if Flip-Up Alley can be customized?

No matter what.

Without practice, it's really hard to improve proficiency. The [Fiery Blaze] spell's proficiency is entirely due to the records and annotations in "The Secrets of Advanced Black Magic".

have to say.

The ruthless Miss Grindelwald was not wrong. Ian could sense the unparalleled skill of his grandfather Gellert Grindelwald in the spell "Fiendfyre" simply from the written annotations.

This level of proficiency now.

Ian hadn't even finished reading the notes and explanations about the magic.

"I'm going to school tomorrow, and it'll be harder to read this book then." Ian was looking forward to the start of school, but also felt a little regretful that he could no longer freely learn these unique magics.

of course.

It would be good to be able to learn other magic as well.

Then he can also learn the alchemy that Professor Mara asked him to learn, and Ian really hopes that with Professor McGonagall's guidance, he can successfully find a balance between reason and imagination.

"It will definitely be a fulfilling life!"

Ian is full of expectations for the future.

He sat down at his desk and began his homework for the evening.

"Today we learned the final part of the Fiendfire spell. Grindelwald was able to effectively avoid the harm that Fiendfire could do to the caster, and even imbue the Fiendfire with his own will."

"What an incredibly brilliant improvement!"

Ian lit his wand and eagerly began his final night of study. Being a cautious man, he decided to bury "The Secrets of Cutting-Edge Black Magic" under the living room floor before going to read.

Ok.

It still has to be placed in the most putrid coffin. I doubt that even if Snape came back to live here, he wouldn't be so twisted as to want to dig up a corpse for a chat or anything.

"The reflection of the mind is especially important... The more profound the magic, the more it seems to emphasize this point. Black magic and white magic almost have something in common at a certain stage."

With a slow increase in proficiency.

Ian flipped through the pages related to the [Fiendish Curse].

outside the house.

The night wind is whispering.

In the book from Miss Grindelwald, at the very end of the final note on "The Fiendish Curse," Ian saw a line of text that puzzled him.

May you gain something from your studies, my friend.